Summary
- Microsoft is integrating AI features into the Windows 11 taskbar for potential productivity enhancements.
- References to a "Taskbar Companion" hint at a future AI-driven widget system for user convenience.
- Microsoft's push for AI tools may extend to potential recommendations for apps, news, or games in the taskbar.
Microsoft has been going full throttle with the AI tool development and research, and it wants you to know all about it. People who use Microsoft Office have already seen Copilot pop up in their apps in all kinds of ways, with the Redmond giant marketing it as a productivity aid.
We've also seen Copilot roll out to various areas of the Windows 11 operating system, but some parts haven't been AI-enhanced just yet. If you thought Microsoft couldn't find a way to put AI in the taskbar, well, first of all, I appreciate your optimism. However, I have some potentially surprising news for you.
Microsoft may be adding AI features to the taskbar
As spotted by Windows Latest, we're beginning to see hints within the Windows 11 test builds that something may be cooking with the taskbar. The information comes from two people who are really good at digging through Microsoft's test build code and finding interesting nuggets: XenoPanther and PhantomOfEarth on X.
XenoPanther kicked things off by spotting a "Taskbar Companion" mention in a recent Windows 11 beta build:
PhantomOfEarth then clarified to Windows Latest that these "companions" were first spotted in Windows Server Build 26454. Recent builds have featured code that references "agenic companions." For example, one patch referenced an in-progress setting that "Controls visibility of agentic companions on the taskbar."
If this is the first time you've heard the word "agentic," rest assured, it won't be the last. It's a big trend among AI developers recently, as "agentic" means something taking the initiative and achieving something with little to no outside intervention. The dream is to have an AI tool do things for the user with very little input from them, if any.
If these "agentic companions" end up in the taskbar, it'll likely be a widget-based system with AI-powered features. There may be one that fetches news, or one that looks at what apps you have installed and recommends ones you can purchase on the Microsoft Store. There might even be one that recommends what you should play next on the Xbox Game Pass or lets you know when a new game arrives.
Of course, this is all speculation, and the idea of agentic companions on the taskbar may never come to pass. However, with Microsoft pouring tons of money into AI, on top of the company's desire to get people using Copilot+ devices, it's likely to happen.